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Jun Fujita
Jun Fujita (Japanese: フジタ・ジュン, Fujita Jun) (December 13, 1888 - July 12, 1963) was an Issei American poet, photojournalist, and silent film actor. Life Overview Fujita was one of the earliest photojournalists, and the 1st Japanese-American photojournalist. He is considered to be a groundbreaking icon among Asian-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and photojournalists. Youth Jun Fujita was born Junnosuke Fujita (Japanese: フジタ・ジュンノスケ, Fujita Junnosuke) in a village near Hiroshima, Japan. Fujita immigrated from Japan to Canada, where he worked odd jobs to save enough money to move to the United States, which he considered to be a "land of opportunity." He moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended and graduated from Wendell Phillips Academy High School, a 4-year predominantly African-American state school whose alumni include Nat "King" Cole, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Archibald Carey, Jr. Following his high school graduation, Fujita studied mathematics]] at the Armour Institute of Technology (later the Illinois Institute of Technology), with plans to become an engineer. Photojournalism To help pay his way through college, Fujita took a job as the only photojournalist at the Chicago Evening Post (published 1886-1932, which later merged with the Chicago Daily News, published 1876-1978). Fujita's career as a photojournalist caused numerous media sensations. He became known not only in Chicago but nationally. Fujita was the only photographer to capture 2 of the century's biggest events: the aftermath of the St. Valentine's Day massacre and the sinking of the S.S. Eastland. Fujita also photographed and documented racism against African-Americans in the Chicago area. Notable examples included photographing 3 Illinois Army National Guard questioning a black man during the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, and photographing several White-American men stoning a black man to death. He also defied a court order and photographed Dr. William D. Shepard at Shepard's murder trial. Fujita photographed some of the most famous people of his time, including Albert Einstein, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Al Capone. Towards the end of his newspaper career, he operated a photo booth at Century of Progress. He also opened his own photography studio called Photo Craft, where he served clients such as Sears, Roebuck. In his semi-retirement, Fujita photographed and painted prairies and wildflowers in Illinois and participated in showing some of his work. Acting Fujita worked as a silent film actor for Essanay Studios in Chicago, a movie studio which was best known for producing several Charlie Chaplin comedies. Fujita had several minor roles before starring in a lead role in the 2-reel film, Otherwise Bill Harrison, in 1915. His film career waned as the movie industry shifted from Chicago to Hollywood, California. Private life Fujita married Florence Carr, a Caucasian journalist from Illinois. Due to anti-miscegenation laws the two were not able to marry until some years later. Florence was born in Ringwood, Illinois on 16 October 1893 and died on Chestnut Street in Chicago in October 1974. The two lived together at 1930 West Chicago Avenue in Chicago, Illinois and had no children. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Fujita volunteered to serve in active duty for the United States but was turned down due to his age, as he was 53 years old at the time. Fujita died at the age of 74. He was cremated and interred in an unknown plot in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery, most likely in the Japanese section. Writing Fujita was also an accomplished and published poet and prose author. He was the 1st Japanese-American to write tanka (a form of waka) poetry. He compiled a collection of his poems in Tanka: Poems in Exile, published by Covici-McGhee in 1923. He also contributed writings to Poetryand the Literary Digest. Recognition Fujita was granted honorary citizenship in the United States by an act of Congress for his contributions to American society in the area of photojournalism.. The United States Senate Bill was submitted by James Hamilton Lewis, senator from Illinois at the time. Senator Hamilton submitted the bill for Fujita's American citizenship due to Fujita's citizenship came at a time when Asian-Americans were not allowed American citizenship by naturalization due to their race. Fujita owned a cabin in Minnesota, which was called "Jap Island" by locals. Jun Fujita Cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Following his death, Fujita's widow donated most of his work to the Chicago Historical Society, which later became the Chicago History Museum. Publications Poetry *''Tanka: Poems in exile''. Chicago: Covici-McGee, 1923. *''Jun Fujita: Tanka pioneer'' (edited by Denis M Garrison). Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, 2007. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Jun Fujita, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 21, 2015. See also *Asian-American poets *List of U.S. poets References *''The Chicago Shimpo''. Chicago Japanese American News, Friday, October 10, 2008, Volume 5732, Page 7. *Nichi Bei Times Notes External links ;Poems *Jun Fujita 1888-1963 at the Poetry Foundation *Fujita in Poetry: A magazine of verse, 1912-1922: Tanka, "To Elizabeth," "Spring," "May Moon," "Storm," "November," "A Leaf," "December Moon," "Echo" ;Art *Jun Fujita at the Art Institute of Chicago ;Photos *Photograph taken by Jun Fujita of an African American questioned by three Illinois Army National Guardsmen *St. Valentine's Day massacre photograph by Jun Fujita *Photograph of Church Architecture in Chicago by Jun Fujita *Photograph of Al Capone talking to his lawyer, Mike Ahern, in 1929 by Jun Fujita ;Books *Jun Fujita at Amazon.com ;About *Jun Fujita (1888-1963) at Eastland Memorial Society *"These Images with Words: The poetry of Jun Fujita" at the Tanka Society *"Jun Fujita: On time and tanka" at Field of Vision ;Etc. *Jun Fujita Cabin at Voyageurs National Park Category:1888 births Category:1963 deaths Category:American male silent film actors Category:Japanese male silent film actors Category:Japanese poets Category:American poets of Asian descent Category:20th-century American male actors Category:American writers of Japanese descent Category:American photojournalists Category:Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States Category:Works Progress Administration workers Category:American journalists of Japanese descent Category:American people of Japanese descent Category:Male actors of Japanese descent Category:20th-century poets Category:American poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Japanese-American poets